Lifeguard saves boy from drowning

July 14, 2011

EAST PROVIDENCE â There are times when Regan Jeffrey heads to work and asks himself, âIf thereâs some type of emergency, how would I respond?â
The lifeguard discovered that answer at about 2 p.m., Tuesday, when he saved an unconscious 11-year-old boy from drowning in the deep end of the Boys & Girls Club of East Providence pool.
âYou just never know whatâs going to come your way,â grinned Jeffrey, a 20-year-old junior-to-be at Rhode Island College who has been employed by the cityâs Parks & Recreation Department for three years now. âWhen I come to the pool, I think, âAm I ready if something happens?â Looking back at it, I reacted just the way I wanted to. I didnât hesitate. I just dove in and let instinct take over.â
According to Alba Curti, the interim Parks & Recreation Director, 61 children â including 48 from the Pierce Athletic Complex playground and another 13 from Silver Spring â had been in the five-lane, 25-yard pool that afternoon to cool off from the summer heat.
Swimming with those youngsters were five camp counselors â among them Stephanie Perez, Kyle Croke and Stephanie Gomes â as is required by the department. Standing on the deck were Jeffrey and another lifeguard, one employed by the Boys & Girls Club.
Jeffrey stated the boy, city resident Joshua Adewusi, had passed the âdeep end test,â meaning he was more than skilled to swim in that section.
âI saw him go under the water, by lanes 3 and 4, and I think when he touched the bottom, he kind of panicked,â Jeffrey explained. âI think he thought, âWow, Iâm deep!â I gave him a second, but then I knew something was wrong, so I pulled off my shirt, grabbed a lifeguard tube and dove in.
âWhen I brought him to the surface, he wasnât breathing; his lips and tongue were blue, and thatâs when I thought, âPerform CPR â now!â
He said a camp counselor helped him pull Adewusi up the ladder on the far side of the pool, and immediately asked someone to call â9-1-1.â He gave the boy 30 chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth, which completes a full cycle of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
âHe coughed up some water, and I just took a huge sigh of relief,â Jeffrey stated. âI was a little worried because I had heard of other (area) drownings recently, but I wasnât thinking negatively, either.â
Curti indicated police arrived at the scene about two minutes after the call, and a rescue unit seconds later. Rescue personnel immediately placed a mask on the boy, who was breathing and responsive, then transported him to Hasbro Childrenâs Hospital.
While the boy was receiving CPR, other counselors cleared the pool of the children, Jeffrey said, and âwere greatâ at keeping everyone calm.
âIâve heard that the boy actually went home that night, and that he was doing fine,â he said. âIâm very thankful for that.â
When asked if he considers himself a hero, as others do, Jeffrey just said, âI was just doing my job. Iâve had Boys & Girls Club officials come up and tell me, âThatâs great! You should be proud.â But my response was the same, âItâs my job.ââ
Sullivan said she employs five lifeguards within her recreation department during the summer, and wasnât surprised that one of them would react so quickly during an emergency situation.
âRegan is an outstanding young man who is very serious about his job,â she offered. âHeâs a terrific young person, and a fine example to all of us âŠ I know he doesnât consider himself a hero; thatâs how he feels, thatâs his job to keep an eye on swimmers.
âI just thank God he was there,â she added. âI know he told someone that he was honored to perform the rescue. He didnât feel anyone was indebted to him, but he was indebted to the people he was there to protect. The kid is so humble.â
Smiled Jeffrey, the son of Richard and Susan Jeffrey of East Providence: âI just canât believe it all happened. Itâs amazing to me. Iâm just glad the boyâs OK. Iâve been contacted by his mom, and I told her Iâm going to pay them a visit soon.â